iPad WiFi and 3G information

iPad WiFi + 3G information is available at http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fforums.wireless.att.com%2Ft5%2FApple%2FiPad-Wi-Fi-3G-Information%2Ftd-p%2F1925513&usd=1&usg=AFQjCNHSxIrVxC64GFpGW8cEElLV3N2iCQ

You can turn the AT&T cellular coverage capability off & on using Settings > Cellular data. If you need to use AT&T to get Internet coverage, you must sign up for a data plan which is $14.99/month for 250 MB or $25/month for 2 GB. Any unused minutes are lost at the end of the month.

The good news is that just about everyplace I would use an iPad has WiFi Internet access.  If I am traveling and stuck at airports for several hours, the data plan would be handy.  I would rather pay to for the AT&T iPad data plan than to pay for the airport only WiFi data plan.

iPad

I picked up the iPad today!  Will be reporting updates as I learn them.  So far, there is much similarity with my iPhone.  All of the iPhone apps that I have synced with the iPad using iTunes. 

Identity Fraud Protection

Modern Healthcare noted today that the White House has released an identify-security plan.  The White House will partner with  others in the private and public sectors to develop a means for safer data exhange.  The data exchange will not be limited to healthcare, but extend to all electronic personal information, including banking data.  To read more, go to http://www.modernhealthcare.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100627/NEWS/306279990/-1

Discovering Scholarly Resources

Tracy shared a link that gets to the heart of scholarly resources discovery from the Calvin University library at http://www.calvin.edu/academic/rit/webBook/chapter4/Sec5/ssource.html . The web site has a table similar to the one that I designed. The entire Chapter 4, The Changing Nature of Information: The Digital Library, is an excellent supplement to Chapter 12 in the 3^rd edition of Informatics and Nursing: Competencies and Applications.

Identifying Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

After grading over 100 written exams that required the use of APA 6^th edition and scholarly citations, it was evident that too many students are unable to identify a peer reviewed journal article. I created a table to assist students who are analyzing digital library resources. Take a look at the table below and give me some feedback on how to make it better.

Peer Reviewed Resources

	Scholarly Journal	Magazine	Newspaper
Audience	Academics, Professionals, and college students	General Public	General Public
Abstract	Yes, although the length may vary – may be represented as a bullet list	No	No
Citations	Yes	No	No
Reference List	Yes	No	No
Language	Scholarly or technical	Simple & easy to understand	Simple & easy to understand
Length	2-10 pages	Usually less than 3 pages	Short
Author's name and credentials	Included	May or may not include a name, but credentials not usually noted	May or may not include a name, but credentials not usually noted
Written by	Scholars who are experts in the profession	Professional writers	Professional writers
Advertisements	None or very few	Many advertisements	Many advertisements
Color	Usually black and white	Colorful	Colorful
Publication Cycle	Every 2-3 months	Weekly or monthly	Daily or weekly
Peer-Reviewed	Yes	No	No
Examples	CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing Journal of Nursing Scholarship Journal of Advanced Nursing	Advance for Nurses Advance for Nurse Practitioners Nursing Times	AACN News Pulse Healthcare IT News

Free Microsoft Office Startup Version

CNET posted an article about Microsoft's plans to give a starter version of Office free.  Most new computers purchased after the expected June 2010 release will come with the starter version of Office installed.

I am currently using the trial beta version of 2010.  The streaming download was phenomenal! I am just beginning to explore the cloud computing options.  I have been using Windows Live since the inception.  Office 2010 uses the term "Skydrive" for the off-line file manager.

Of course, I also use Zoho, OpenOffice.org, Google docs and IBM Lotus Symphony as comparitive office software  packages.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-20001553-56.html?tag=newsLeadStoriesArea

Ramping Up Office Skills

I created a couple of posts outlining basic, intermediate, and advanced skills for using office suite software. 

So perhaps you realize that you are ready to learn some additional skills.

There are lots of FREE high-quality learning resources.

http://www.gcflearnfree.org/computer/ - is free, but requires a login and password

http://h30187.www3.hp.com/  is also free, but requires a login and password

Microsoft provides many free interactive tutorials at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/default.aspx

Windows Office Live

I have been using Windows Office Live beta since it was first released.  It is a  Windows cloud computing resource that has made phenomenal improvements!  I firmly believed that Microsoft should have a free version of Office.  After all, there are many wonderful free choices including Google docs, OpenOffice.org, and Zoho. My wish has finally come true!  This morning I received an email announcing that within the week I can upgrade to Windows Live Skydrive with 25 GB (yes, gigabytes) of storage space AND cloud computing office apps.  The web apps are Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote (one of my favorites). For more information about the web apps, go to http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/web-apps/office-web-apps-overview-FX101825723.aspx

The cloud computing resource requires us to use Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari web browsers.

Microsoft Access Learning Resource

Tracy shared a great learning resource for Microsoft Access - Allen Browne's Database and Training.  The site is very current and includes resources for Access 2010.  The site is designed for all types of Access users, from beginners to advanced programmers. It is certainly worth bookmarking. 

http://allenbrowne.com/tips.html

Excel Charts

Linda added a new resource to the textbook web site.  It provides a great overview for creating charts using Microsft Excel spreadsheet software.  Although the title indicates that it is for 2007, the information is generic enough for charts in general.  It explains the parts of a chart and how to arrange data to create particular types of charts.

Excel 2007 for all charts in Microsoft Office (added June 24, 2010)


http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/overview-of-charting-HP001216348.aspx

Free Encryption Software That is Easy to Use

Just about every day I am reading about lost laptops or stolen healthcare provider hard drives.  A wonderful GCSU colleague introduced me to a free open source DOD standard encryption software, Axcrypt http://www.axantum.com/axcrypt/

It is a small file and easy to install and use.  It allows you to encrypt files and to electronically shred and delete them.

We all need to consider using encryption software for file with personal identifiers or those with patient or student identifiers.